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Background/aim The frequency of somatic mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in primary lung adenocarcinoma varies among populations and countries. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether the frequency of EGFR mutations in patients with lung adenocarcinoma depends on their mitochondrial DNA haplogroup, which reflects their maternal lineage. Patients and methods Using normal lung tissue specimens, the mitochondrial DNA haplogroup was determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction in 135 Japanese patients who underwent surgery for primary lung adenocarcinoma. Results The 135 patients were divided into two groups according to the two primitive haplotypes (N group, n=32; M group, n=103). The frequency of EGFR mutations in the N group was significantly higher than that in the M group (69% vs. 48%, p=0.044). The difference was prominent when the analysis was restricted to non-smokers (95% vs. 57%, p Conclusion The frequency of EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinoma patients depends on their mitochondrial lineage.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are used as the first choice for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) pharmacotherapeutics. Some patients taking these drugs showed good therapeutic reactivity despite the disappearance of drugs from blood. We investigated whether these drugs have sustained effects even after their disappearance and whether their effects depend on their amounts of intracellular accumulation. Cell proliferation after exposure of K562 cells or Multidrug resistance-1 (MDR-1)-transfected K562 cells was determined by a cell counting kit-8 assay. The intracellular accumulation amount of the drug showing a sustained cytostatic effect was measured by ultra high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Cell viability decreased in a culture time-dependent manner after washing out nilotinib and dasatinib. The sustained cytostatic effect of dasatinib, but not that of nilotinib, correlated with the intracellular accumulation level. In contrast, imatinib showed continuous a cytostatic effect after drug washout for long-term exposure but not after drug washout for short-term exposure. These results suggest that a good response in patients with a low serum concentration of imatinib, nilotinib or dasatinib may be due to the cytostatic effect of that drug continues even after its disappearance in plasma.

Background/aim 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) enhances the sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), but the molecular mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism that enhances the sensitivity to 5-FU treated with 5-Aza-CdR via thymidine phosphorylase (TP). Materials and methods The sensitivity to drugs was determined on several cancer cell lines by the MTT assay. Protein and mRNA levels were examined by immunoblot and RT-PCR, respectively. Gene silencing, binding of Sp1 to DNA and methylation of DNA was performed by siRNA, ChIP assay and sodium bisulfate genomic sequencing, respectively. Results Sp1-binding sites in the TP promoter were methylated in epidermoid carcinoma. 5-Aza-CdR demethylated Sp1-binding sites and enhanced sensitivity to 5-FU. Conclusion Demethylation of Sp1-binding sites by 5-Aza-CdR was a key factor enhancing 5-FU sensitivity, which may enable more effective treatments for cancer patients with the combination of 5-Aza-CdR and 5-FU.

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common brain malignancy in adults, is generally aggressive and incurable, even with multiple treatment modalities and agents. Filamins (FLNs) are a group of actin-binding proteins that regulate the actin cytoskeleton in cells. However, the role of FLNs in malignancies—particularly in GBM—is unclear. Methods The relation between FLNC expression and overall survival in GBM was evaluated by the Kaplan−Meier analysis using GBM patients from the Kagoshima University Hospital (n = 90) and data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (n = 153). To assess FLNC function in GBM, cell migration and invasion were examined with Transwell and Matrigel invasion assays using FLNC-overexpressing U251MG and LN299 GBM cells, and ShRNA-mediated FLNC knocked-down KNS81 and U87MG cells. The gelatin zymography assay was used to estimate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 activity. Results In silico analysis of GBM patient data from TCGA and immunohistochemical analyses of clinical GBM specimens revealed that increased FLNC expression was associated with poor patient prognosis. FLNC overexpression in GBM cell lines was positively correlated with enhanced invasiveness, but not migration, and was accompanied by upregulation of MMP2. Conclusions FLNC is a potential therapeutic target and biomarker for GBM progression.

The human AlkB homolog family (ALKBH) of proteins play a critical role in some types of cancer. However, the expression and function of the lysine demethylase ALKBH4 in cancer are poorly understood. Here, we examined the expression and function of ALKBH4 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and found that ALKBH4 was highly expressed in NSCLC, as compared to that in adjacent normal lung tissues. ALKBH4 knockdown significantly induced the downregulation of NSCLC cell proliferation via cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase of in vivo tumour growth. ALKBH4 knockdown downregulated E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) and its target gene expression in NSCLC cells. ALKBH4 and E2F1 expression was significantly correlated in NSCLC clinical specimens. Moreover, patients with high ALKBH4 expression showed a poor prognosis, suggesting that ALKBH4 plays a pivotal tumour-promoting role in NSCLC.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is a rate-limiting enzyme in thymidine catabolism. TP has several important roles in biological and pharmacological mechanisms; importantly TP acts as an angiogenic factor and one of metabolic enzymes of fluoro-pyrimidine anticancer agents and modifies inflammation. Improving our understanding of the characteristics and functions of TP has led to the development of novel TP-based anticancer therapies. We recently reported that TP-dependent thymidine catabolism contributes to tumour survival in low nutrient conditions and the pathway from thymidine to the glycolysis cascade is affected in the context of physiological and metabolic conditions. In this review, we describe recent advancement in our understanding of TP, with a focus on cancer cell biology and the pharmacology of pyrimidine analogue anticancer agents. This review provides comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanism of TP function in cancer.

Lung cancer constitutes a threat to human health. BHLHE41 plays important roles in circadian rhythm and cell differentiation as a negative regulatory transcription factor. This study investigates the role of BHLHE41 in lung cancer progression. We analyzed BHLHE41 function via in silico and immunohistochemical studies of 177 surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples and 18 early lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) cases. We also examined doxycycline (DOX)-inducible BHLHE41-expressing A549 and H2030 adenocarcinoma cells. BHLHE41 expression was higher in normal lung than in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissues and was associated with better prognosis for the overall survival (OS) of patients. In total, 15 of 132 LUAD tissues expressed BHLHE41 in normal lung epithelial cells. Staining was mainly observed in adenocarcinoma in situ and the lepidic growth part of invasive cancer tissue. BHLHE41 expression constituted a favorable prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.049) and cause-specific survival (p = 0.042) in patients with LUAD. During early LUSC, 7 of 18 cases expressed BHLHE41, and this expression was inversely correlated with the depth of invasion. DOX suppressed cell proliferation and increased the autophagy protein LC3, while chloroquine enhanced LC3 accumulation and suppressed cell death. In a xenograft model, DOX suppressed tumor growth. Our results indicate that BHLHE41 expression prevents early lung tumor malignant progression by inducing autophagic cell death in NSCLC.

Mice carrying simultaneous homozygous mutations in the genes encoding citrin, the mitochondrial aspartate-glutamate carrier 2 (AGC2) protein, and mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (mGPD), are a phenotypically representative model of human citrin (a.k.a., AGC2) deficiency. In this study, we investigated the voluntary oral intake and preference for sucrose, glycerol or ethanol solutions by wild-type, citrin (Ctrn)-knockout (KO), mGPD-KO, and Ctrn/mGPD double-KO mice; all substances that are known or suspected precipitating factors in the pathogenesis of human citrin deficiency. The double-KO mice showed clear suppressed intake of sucrose, consuming less with progressively higher concentrations compared to the other mice. Similar observations were made when glycerol or ethanol were given. The preference of Ctrn-KO and mGPD-KO mice varied with the different treatments; essentially no differences were observed for sucrose, while an intermediate intake or similar to that of the double-KO mice was observed for glycerol and ethanol. We next examined the hepatic glycerol 3-phosphate, citrate, citrulline, lysine, glutamate and adenine nucleotide levels following forced enteral administration of these solutions. A strong correlation between the simultaneous increased hepatic glycerol 3-phosphate and decreased ATP or total adenine nucleotide content and observed aversion of the mice during evaluation of their voluntary preferences was found. Overall, our results suggest that the aversion observed in the double-KO mice to these solutions is initiated and/or mediated by hepatic metabolic perturbations, resulting in a behavioral response to increased hepatic cytosolic NADH and a decreased cellular adenine nucleotide pool. These findings may underlie the dietary predilections observed in human citrin deficient patients.

Microcystin-LR is a hepatotoxin produced by several cyanobacteria. Its toxicity is mainly due to a inhibition of protein phosphatase, PP1 and PP2A. Previously, we used a cell line stably expressing uptake transporter for microcystin-LR, OATP1B3 (HEK293-OATP1B3 cells). In this study, to determine whether overexpression of carboxylesterase (CES), which degrades ester-group and amide-group, attenuates the cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR, we generated the HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 double-transfected cells. HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 cells showed high hydrolysis activity of p -nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA), which is an authentic substrate for esterase. CES activity in HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 cells was approximately 3-fold higher than that in the HEK293-OATP1B3 cells. HEK293-OATP1B3/CES2 cells (IC 50 : 25.4 ± 7.7 nM) showed approximately 2.1-fold resistance to microcystin-LR than HEK293-OATP1B3 cells (IC 50 : 12.0 ± 1.5 nM). Moreover, the CES inhibition assay and microcystin-agarose pull down assay showed the possibility of the interaction between CES2 and microcystin-LR. Our results indicated that the overexpression of CES2 attenuates the cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR via interaction with microcystin-LR.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, is characterized by rapid proliferation, aggressive migration, and invasion into normal brain tissue. Formin proteins have been implicated in these processes. However, the role of formin-like 1 (FMNL1) in cancer remains unclear. We studied FMNL1 expression in glioblastoma samples using immunohistochemistry. We sought to analyze the correlation between FMNL1 expression, clinicopathologic variables, and patient survival. Migration and invasion assays were used to verify the effect of FMNL1 on glioblastoma cell lines. Microarray data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). FMNL1 was an independent predictor of poor prognosis in a cohort of 217 glioblastoma multiforme cases (p &lt, 0.001). FMNL1 expression was significantly higher in the mesenchymal subtype. FMNL1 upregulation and downregulation were associated with mesenchymal and proneural markers in the GSEA, respectively. These data highlight the important role of FMNL1 in the neural-to-mesenchymal transition. Conversely, FMNL1 downregulation suppressed glioblastoma multiforme cell migration and invasion via DIAPH1 and GOLGA2, respectively. FMNL1 downregulation also suppressed actin fiber assembly, induced morphological changes, and diminished filamentous actin. FMNL1 is a promising therapeutic target and a useful biomarker for GBM progression.

High-dose chemotherapy and surgical treatment have improved the prognosis of osteosarcoma. However, more than 20% of patients with osteosarcoma still have a poor prognosis. We investigated the expression and function of casein kinase 2 (CK2) in osteosarcoma growth. We then examined the effects of CX-4945, a CK2 inhibitor, on osteosarcoma growth in vitro and in vivo to apply our findings to the clinical setting. We examined the expression of CK2α and CK2β by western blot analysis, and performed WST-1 assays using CK2α and CK2β siRNA or CX-4945. Flow cytometry and western blot analyses were performed to evaluate apoptotic cell death. Xenograft models were used to examine the effect of CX-4945 in vivo. Western blot analysis revealed upregulation of CK2α and CK2β in human osteosarcoma cell lines compared with human osteoblast cells or mesenchymal stem cells. WST assay showed that knockdown of CK2α or CK2β by siRNA inhibited the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells. Treatment with 3 µM of CX-4945 inhibited osteosarcoma cell proliferation; however, the same concentration of CX-4945 did not affect the proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Additionally, treatment with CX-4945 inhibited the proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot and flow cytometry analyses showed that treatment with CX-4945 promoted apoptotic death of osteosarcoma cells. The xenograft model showed that treatment with CX-4945 significantly prevented osteosarcoma growth in vivo compared with control vehicle treatment. Our findings indicate that CK2 may be an attractive therapeutic target for treating osteosarcoma.

// F M Moinuddin 1, 2 , Yoshinari Shinsato 2, 3 , Masaharu Komatsu 4 , Ryoichi Mitsuo 2, * , Kentaro Minami 2, 3 , Masatatsu Yamamoto 2, 3 , Kohich Kawahara 2, 3 , Hirofumi Hirano 1 , Kazunori Arita 1 , Tatsuhiko Furukawa 2, 3 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan 2 Department of Molecular Oncology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan 3 Center for the Research of Advanced Diagnosis and Therapy of Cancer, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan 4 Division of Food and Chemical Biology, Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, 4-50-20, Shimoarata, Kagoshima 890-0056, Japan * Present address: Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL) Ltd, 2438 Miyanoura, Kagoshima 891-1394, Japan Correspondence to: Tatsuhiko Furukawa, e-mail: furukawa@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp Keywords: ATP7B, copper transporter, multidrug resistance, doxorubicin, SN-38 Received: November 10, 2015 Accepted: February 23, 2016 Published: March 14, 2016 ABSTRACT We previously reported that ATP7B is involved in cisplatin resistance and ATP7A confers multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells. In this study, we show that ATP7B expressing cells also are resistant to doxorubicin, SN-38, etoposide, and paclitaxel as well as cisplatin. In ATP7B expressing cells, doxorubicin relocated from the nuclei to the late-endosome at 4 hours after doxorubicin exposure. EGFP-ATP7B mainly colocalized with doxorubicin. ATP7B has six metal binding sites (MBSs) in the N-terminal cytoplasmic region. To investigate the role of the MBSs of ATP7B in doxorubicin resistance, we used three mutant ATP7B (Cu0, Cu6 and M6C/S) expressing cells. Cu0 has no MBSs, Cu6 has only the sixth MBS and M6C/S carries CXXC to SXXS mutation in the sixth MBS. Cu6 expressing cells were less resistance to the anticancer agents than wild type ATP7B expressing cells, and had doxorubicin sequestration in the late-endosome. Cu0- and M6C/S-expressing cells were sensitive to doxorubicin. In these cells, doxorubicin did not relocalize to the late-endosome. EGFP-M6C/S mainly localized to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) even in the presence of copper. Thus the cysteine residues in the sixth MBS of ATP7B are essential for MDR phenotype. Finally, we found that ammonium chloride and tamoxifen suppressed late endosomal sequestration of doxorubicin, thereby attenuating drug resistance. These results suggest that the sequestration depends on the acidity of the vesicles partly. We here demonstrate that ATP7B confers MDR by facilitating nuclear drug efflux and late endosomal drug sequestration.

Citrin deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in SLC25A13, encoding the liver-specific mitochondrial aspartate/glutamate transporter. It has a broad spectrum of clinical phenotypes, including life-threatening neurological complications. Conventional protein replacement therapy is not an option for these patients because of drug delivery hurdles, and current gene therapy approaches (e.g., AAV) have been hampered by immunogenicity and genotoxicity. Although dietary approaches have shown some benefits in managing citrin deficiency, the only curative treatment option for these patients is liver transplantation, which is high-risk and associated with long-term complications because of chronic immunosuppression. To develop a new class of therapy for citrin deficiency, codon-optimized mRNA encoding human citrin (hCitrin) was encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). We demonstrate the efficacy of hCitrin-mRNA-LNP therapy in cultured human cells and in a murine model of citrin deficiency that resembles the human condition. Of note, intravenous (i.v.) administration of the hCitrin-mRNA resulted in a significant reduction in (1) hepatic citrulline and blood ammonia levels following oral sucrose challenge and (2) sucrose aversion, hallmarks of hCitrin deficiency. In conclusion, mRNA-LNP therapy could have a significant therapeutic effect on the treatment of citrin deficiency and other mitochondrial enzymopathies with limited treatment options.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Although many molecular-targeted drugs for NSCLC have been developed in recent years, the 5-year survival rate of patients with NSCLC remains low. Therefore, an improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the biology of NSCLC is essential for developing novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of NSCLC. In this study, we examined the role of miR-130b in NSCLC. Our results showed that high expression of miR-130b in clinical specimens was significantly associated with poor overall survival in patients with NSCLC. Moreover, miR-130b expression was significantly increased in NSCLC clinical specimens from patients with vascular and lymphatic invasion. Consistent with this, overexpression of miR-130b promoted invasion and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity in A549 cells. Argonaute2 immunoprecipitation and gene array analysis identified tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) as a target of miR-130b. Invasion activity promoted by miR-130b was attenuated by TIMP-2 overexpression in A549 cells. Furthermore, TIMP-2 concentrations in serum were inversely correlated with relative miR-130b expression in tumor tissues from the same patients with NSCLC. Overall, miR-130b was found to act as an oncomiR, promoting metastasis by downregulating TIMP-2 and invasion activities in NSCLC cells.

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is the second most frequent soft tissue sarcoma. Because of its resistance to chemotherapy, UPS patients are treated with surgical resection and complementary radiotherapy. However, since standard chemotherapy has not been established, unresectable or metastatic cases result in a poor prognosis. Therefore, the identification of a more effective therapy for UPS patients is needed. The development and progression of malignant tumors involve epigenetic alterations, and histone deacetylases (HDAC) have become a promising chemotherapeutic target. In this study, we investigated the potential effects and mechanisms of an HDAC inhibitor, LBH589, in UPS cells. We confirmed that LBH589 exhibits potent antitumor activities in four human UPS cell lines (GBS-1, TNMY-1, Nara-F, and Nara-H) and IC50 values ranged from 7 to 13 nM. A mouse xenograft model showed that LBH589 treatment effectively suppressed tumor growth. FACS analysis showed that LBH589 induced apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Among apoptosis-related proteins, the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were decreased and the expression of Bak and Bim increased. Among cell cycle-related proteins, reductions of CDK1, p-CDK1, cyclin B1, Aurora A, and Aurora B were observed after LBH589 treatment. RNA microarray identified the FOS-like antigen 1 (FOSL1) gene as a downregulated gene in response to LBH589 in UPS cells. While knockdown of FOSL1 decreased UPS cell proliferation, overexpression induced cell proliferation. Our results show that LBH589 could be a promising chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of UPS and downregulation of the FOSL1 gene could be the new molecular target of UPS treatment.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the thymidine catabolic pathway. TP is identical to platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor and contributes to tumour angiogenesis. TP induces the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhances the expression of oxidative stress-responsive genes, such as interleukin (IL)-8. However, the mechanism underlying ROS induction by TP remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that TP promotes NADPH oxidase-derived ROS signalling in cancer cells. NADPH oxidase inhibition using apocynin or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) abrogated the induction of IL-8 and ROS in TP-expressing cancer cells. Meanwhile, thymidine catabolism induced by TP increased the levels of NADPH and intermediates of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Both siRNA knockdown of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), a rate-limiting enzyme in PPP, and a G6PD inhibitor, dihydroepiandrosterone, reduced TP-induced ROS production. siRNA downregulation of 2-deoxy-D-ribose 5-phosphate (DR5P) aldolase, which is needed for DR5P to enter glycolysis, also suppressed the induction of NADPH and IL-8 in TP-expressing cells. These results suggested that TP-mediated thymidine catabolism increases the intracellular NADPH level via the PPP, which enhances the production of ROS by NADPH oxidase and activates its downstream signalling.

Microcystin-LR, which is an inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatase (PP)1 and PP2A, induces liver injury by its selective uptake system into the hepatocyte. It is also thought that microcystin-LR induces reactive oxygen species (ROS). We tried to establish the chemical prevention of microcystin-LR poisoning. We investigated the effect of grapefruit flavanone glycoside naringin on cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR using human hepatocyte uptake transporter OATP1B3-expressing HEK293-OATP1B3 cells. We found cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR was attenuated by naringin in a dose dependent manner. The inhibition magnitude of total cellular serine/threonine protein phosphatase activity induced by microcystin-LR was suppressed by naringin. In addition, uptake of microcystin-LR into HEK293-OATP1B3 cells was inhibited by naringin. Furthermore, microcystin-LR induced phosphorylation of p53 was inhibited by naringin. Regardless of the difference in the exposure pattern of pre-processing and post-processing of naringin, the toxicity of microcystin-LR was comparable. These results suggested that naringin is promising remedy as well as preventive medicine for liver damage with microcystin-LR. In addition, involvement of ROS production after exposure to the sublethal concentrations of microcystin-LR in the onset of cytotoxicity was negligible. Therefore, inhibition of microcystin-LR uptake and the pathway other than ROS production would be involved in the effect of naringin on the attenuation of microcystin-LR toxicity.

Gemcitabine is widely used for pancreatic, lung, and bladder cancer. However, drug resistance against gemcitabine is a large obstacle to effective chemotherapy. Nucleoside transporters, nucleoside and nucleotide metabolic enzymes, and efflux transporters have been reported to be involved in gemcitabine resistance. Although most of the resistant factors are supposed to be related to each other, it is unclear how one factor can affect the other one. In this study, we established gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines. Gemcitabine resistance in these cells is caused by two major processes: a decrease in gemcitabine uptake and overexpression of ribonucleotide reductase large subunit (RRM1). Knockdown of RRM1, but not the overexpression of concentrative nucleoside transporter 1 (CNT1), could completely overcome the gemcitabine resistance. RRM1 knockdown in gemcitabine-resistant cells could increase the intracellular accumulation of gemcitabine by increasing the nucleoside transporter expression. Furthermore, a synergistic effect was observed between hydroxyurea, a ribonucleotide reductase (RR) inhibitor, and gemcitabine on the gemcitabine-resistant cells. Here we indicate that RR is one of the most promising targets to overcome gemcitabine resistance in gemcitabine-resistant cells with dual resistant factors.

Although there is a relationship between DNA repair deficiency and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance in glioblastoma (GBM), it remains unclear which molecule is associated with GBM recurrence. We isolated three TMZ-resistant human GBM cell lines and examined the expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and mismatch repair (MMR) components. We used immunohistochemical analysis to compare MutL homolog 1 (MLH1), postmeiotic segregation increased 2 (PMS2) and MGMT expression in primary and recurrent GBM specimens obtained from GBM patients during TMZ treatment. We found a reduction in MLH1 expression and a subsequent reduction in PMS2 protein levels in TMZ-resistant cells. Furthermore, MLH1 or PMS2 knockdown confered TMZ resistance. In recurrent GBM tumours, the expression of MLH1 and PMS2 was reduced when compared to primary tumours.

Major vault protein (MVP) is identical to lung resistance-related protein (LRP), which is the major component of vaults. Vaults are considered to play a protective role against xenobiotics and other types of stress. In a previous study, we reported that the expression levels of MVP in SW620 human colon cancer cells were increased in hypertonic culture medium with sucrose. However, the molecular mechanism behind the induction of MVP expression by osmotic stress has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the mechanism behind the induction of MVP expression by osmotic stress. Under hyperosmotic stress conditions, the ubiquitination of specificity protein 1 (Sp1) decreased, Sp1 protein levels increased, its binding to the MVP promoter was enhanced, and small interfering RNA (siRNA) for Sp1 suppressed the induction of MVP expression. The inhibition of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) by SP600125, a specific JNK inhibitor, decreased the expression of MVP and Sp1 under hyperosmotic conditions. Our data indicate that the stabilization and upregulation of Sp1 protein expression by JNK participate in the inhibition of the ubiquitination and degradation of Sp1, and thus in the induction of MVP expression under hyperosmotic conditions.

The angiogenic factor, platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor/thymidine phosphorylase (PD-ECGF/TP), stimulates the chemotaxis of endothelial cells and confers resistance to apoptosis induced by hypoxia. 2-Deoxy-D-ribose, a degradation product of thymidine generated by TP enzymatic activity, inhibits the upregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α, BNIP3 and caspase-3 induced by hypoxia. In the present study, we investigated the molecular basis for the suppressive effect of 2-deoxy-D-ribose on the upregulation of HIF-1α. 2-Deoxy-D-ribose enhanced the interaction of HIF-1α and the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) protein under hypoxic conditions. It did not affect the expression of HIF-1α, prolyl hydroxylase (PHD)1/2/3 and VHL mRNA under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, but enhanced the interaction of HIF-1α and PHD2 under hypoxic conditions. 2-Deoxy-D-ribose also increased the amount of hydroxy-HIF-1α in the presence of the proteasome inhibitor MG-132. The expression levels of TP are elevated in many types of malignant solid tumors and, thus, 2-deoxy-D-ribose generated by TP in these tumors may play an important role in tumor progression by preventing hypoxia-induced apoptosis.

Background Microcystin-LR, a cyclic heptapeptide, possesses the ability to inhibit the serine/threonine protein phosphatases PP1 and PP2A and, consequently, exhibits acute hepatocytotoxicity. Moreover, microcystin-LR induces cellular proliferation, resulting in tumor-promoting activity in hepatocytes. However, mechanisms that regulate the balance between cell death and proliferation after microcystin-LR treatment remain unclear. Objective We examined the contribution of the transcription factor p53, as well as that of the hepatic uptake transporter for microcystin-LR, organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (OATP1B3), to the cellular response to microcystin-LR exposure. Methods We analyzed intracellular signaling responses to microcystin-LR by immunoblotting and real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction techniques using HEK293 human embryonic kidney cells stably transfected with SLCO1B3 (HEK293-OATP1B3). In addition, we analyzed the effect of attenuation of p53 function, via the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α, and knockdown of p53 mRNA on the cytotoxicity of microcystin-LR using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results Microcystin-LR induced the phosphorylation and accumulation of p53 in HEK293-OATP1B3 cells, which resulted in up-regulation of the expression of p53 transcript targets, including p21 and seven in absentia homolog 1 (siah-1). In addition, microcystin-LR activated Akt signaling through the phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase 3β. Although Akt signaling was activated, the accumulation of p53 led cells to apoptosis after treatment with 50 nM microcystin-LR for 24 hr. Both pharmacological inhibition of transcription factor activity of p53 by pifithrin-α and knockdown of p53 with small hairpin RNA attenuated the susceptibility of HEK293-OATP1B3 cells to microcystin-LR. Conclusions This study demonstrates the importance of p53 in the regulation of cell fate after exposure to microcystin-LR. Our results suggest that, under conditions of p53 inactivation (including p53 mutation), chronic exposure to low doses of microcystin-LR may lead to cell proliferation through activation of Akt signaling. Results of this study may contribute to the development of chemoprevention and chemotherapeutic approaches to microcystin-LR poisoning.

Vaults are evolutionarily highly conserved ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles with a hollow barrel-like structure. Although roles in multidrug resistance and innate immunity have been suggested, the physiological function of vaults remains unclear. Major vault protein (MVP), the main component of the vault particle, has been reported to be induced by hypoxia. However, there are no reports about the effect of vaults on cellular responses to hypoxia. We thus examined whether vaults are implicated in cellular responses to hypoxia. In this study, we focused on hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), which is a master regulator of hypoxic responses, and found that: (i) MVP knockdown by RNA interference increases HIF-1alpha protein levels induced by hypoxia and hypoxia mimetics; (ii) MVP knockdown does not affect HIF-1alpha mRNA levels, but decreases the ubiquitination and degradation of HIF-1alpha protein; and (iii) vaults form complexes with HIF-1alpha, PHD2, and pVHL. Taken together, these results suggest that vaults function as scaffolds in HIF-1alpha degradation pathway and promote the ubiquitination and degradation of HIF-1alpha.

Copper is an essential trace element and several copper containing proteins are indispensable for such processes as oxidative respiration, neural development and collagen remodeling. Copper metabolism is precisely regulated by several transporters and chaperone proteins. Copper Transport Protein 1 (CTR1) selectively uptakes copper into cells. Subsequently three chaperone proteins, HAH1 (human atx1 homologue 1), Cox17p and CCS (copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase) transport copper to the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and copper/zinc superoxide dismutase respectively. Defects in the copper transporters ATP7A and ATP7B are responsible for Menkes disease and Wilsons disease respectively. These proteins transport copper via HAH1 to the Golgi apparatus to deliver copper to cuproenzymes. They also prevent cellular damage from an excess accumulation of copper by mediating the efflux of copper from the cell. There is increasing evidence that copper transport mechanisms may play a role in drug resistance. We, and others, found that ATP7A and ATP7B are involved in drug resistance against the anti-tumor drug cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (CDDP). A relationship between the expression of ATP7A or ATP7B in tumors and CDDP resistance is supported by clinical studies. In addition, the copper uptake transporter CTR1 has also been reported to play a role in CDDP sensitivity. Furthermore, we have recently found that the effect of ATP7A on drug resistance is not limited to CDDP. Using an ex vivo drug sensitivity assay, the histoculture drug response assay (HDRA), the expression of ATP7A in human surgically resected colon cancer cells correlated with sensitivity to 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin (SN-38). ATP7Aoverexpressing cells are resistant to many anticancer drugs including SN-38, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino] carbonyloxycamptothecin (CPT-11), vincristine, paclitaxel, etoposide, doxorubicin (Dox), and mitoxantron. The mechanism by which ATP7A and copper metabolism modulate drug transport appears to involve modulation of drug cellular localization via modulation of the vesicle transport system. In ATP7A overexpressing cells, Dox accumulates in the Golgi apparatus. In contrast, in the parental cells, Dox is localized in the nuclei, where the target molecules of Dox, topoisomerase II and DNA, are found. Disruption of the intracellular vesicle transport system with monensin, a Na+/H+ ionophore, induced the relocalization of Dox from the Golgi apparatus to the nuclei in the ATP7A overexpressing cells. These data suggested that ATP7A-related drug transport is dependent on the vesicle transport system. Thus copper transport systems play important roles in drug transport as well as in copper metabolism. Components of copper metabolism are therefore likely to include target molecules for the modulation of drug potency of not only anti-cancer agents but also of other drugs.

5-FU is commonly used for treatment of various solid tumors including colon carcinoma. We have previously demonstrated that Egr-1 induced by 5-FU enhanced TSP-1 expression in human colon cancer KM12C cells. In this study, a Genechip analysis of KM12C cells treated with 5-FU revealed down-regulation of 924 genes and up-regulation of 460 genes. The decreased expression of c-Myc mRNA and phosphorylated c-Myc were detected and confirmed by RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Since 5-FU induced the expression of TSP-1, we examined the effect of c-Myc on the TSP-1 promoter. Deletion of the TSP-1 promoter region in which binding sites for c-Myc reside had no effect on the TSP-1 promoter activity induced by 5-FU. Meanwhile, 5-FU dose-dependently decreased the expression of miR-17-92 cluster. These findings suggest that 5-FU decreased the expression of c-Myc and consequently miR-17-92 cluster and increased the expression of TSP-1 mRNA.

The major vault protein (MVP) is the major constituent of the vault particle, the largest ribonuclear protein complex described to date and is identical to lung resistance-related protein (LRP). Although MVP is also expressed in several normal tissues, little is known about its physiological role. MVP played a protective role against some xenobiotics and other stresses. We thus investigated the effect of osmotic stress on MVP expression by treating human colon cancer SW620 cells with sucrose or NaCl. The expression level of both MVP protein and MVP mRNA was increased by the osmostress. Sucrose or sodium chloride could also enhance MVP promoter activity. Inhibition of p38 MAPK in SW620 cells by SB203580 inhibited the expression of MVP under hyperosmotic stress. These findings suggested that osmotic stress up-regulated the MVP expression through p38 MAPK pathway. Down-regulation of MVP expression by MVP interfering RNA (RNAi) in SW620 cells increased the sensitivity of the cells to hyperosmotic stress and enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, MVP RNAi prevented the osmotic stress-induced, time-dependent increase in phosphorylated Akt. These findings suggest that the PI3K/Akt pathway might be implicated in the cytoprotective effect of MVP. Our data demonstrate that exposure of cells to hyperosmotic stress induces MVP that might play an important role in the protection of the cells from the adverse effects of osmotic stress.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most commonly used anticancer drugs in chemotherapy against various solid tumors. 5-FU dose-dependently increased the expression levels of intrinsic antiangiogenic factor thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) in human colon carcinoma KM12C cells and human breast cancer MCF7 cells. We investigated the molecular basis for the induction of TSP-1 by 5-FU in KM12C cells. Promoter assays showed that the region with the Egr-1 binding site is critical for the induction of TSP-1 promoter activity by 5-FU. The binding of Egr-1 to the TSP-1 promoter was increased in KM12C cells treated with 5-FU. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that 5-FU significantly increased the level of Egr-1 in the nuclei of KM12C cells. The suppression of Egr-1 expression by small interfering RNA decreased the expression level of TSP-1. Furthermore, 5-FU induced the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and heat shock protein 27 (HSP27). Blockade of the p38 MAPK pathway by SB203580 remarkably inhibited the phosphorylation of HSP27 induced by 5-FU and decreased the induction of Egr-1 and TSP-1 by 5-FU in KM12C cells. These findings suggest that the p38 MAPK pathway plays a crucial role in the induction of Egr-1 by 5-FU and that induced Egr-1 augments TSP-1 promoter activity, with the subsequent production of TSP-1 mRNA and protein. [Cancer Res 2008;68(17):7035–41]

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) from eel (Anguilla japonica) muscle (eelGFP) is unique in the vertebrates and requires bilirubin as a ligand to emit fluorescence. This study was performed to clarify the physiological function of the unique GFP. Investigation of susceptibility to oxidative stress was carried out using three types of cell lines including jellyfish (Aequorea coerulescens) GFP (jfGFP)-, or eel GFP (eelGFP)-expressing HEK293 cells, and control vector-transfected HEK293 cells. Binding of eelGFP to bilirubin was confirmed by the observation of green fluorescence in HEK293-eelGFP cells. The growth rate was compared with the three types of cells in the presence or absence of phenol red which possessed antioxidant activity. The growth rates of HEK293-CV and HEK293-jfGFP under phenol red-free conditions were reduced to 52 and 31% of those under phenol red. Under the phenol red-free condition, HEK293-eelGFP had a growth rate of approximately 70% of the phenol red-containing condition. The eelGFP-expressing cells were approximately 2-fold resistant to oxidative stress such as H2O2 exposure. The fluorescence intensity partially decreased or disappeared after exposure to H2O2, and heterogeneous intensity of fluorescence was also observed in isolated eel skeletal muscle cells. These results suggested eelGFP, but not jfGFP, coupled with bilirubin provided the antioxidant activity to the cells as compared to non-bound free bilirubin.

High-dose chemotherapy and surgical intervention have improved long-term prognosis for non-metastatic osteosarcoma to 50-80%. However, metastatic osteosarcoma exhibits resistance to standard chemotherapy. We and others have investigated the function of Hedgehog pathway in osteosarcoma. To apply our previous findings in clinical settings, we examined the effects of Hedgehog inhibitors including arsenic trioxide (ATO) and vismodegib combined with standard anticancer agents. We performed WST-1 assays using ATO, cisplatin (CDDP), ifosfamide (IFO), doxorubicin (DOX), and vismodegib. Combination-index (CI) was used to examine synergism using CalcuSyn software. Xenograft models were used to examine the synergism in vivo. WST-1 assays showed that 143B and Saos2 cell proliferation was inhibited by ATO combined with CDDP, IFO, DOX, and vismodegib. Combination of ATO and CDDP, IFO, DOX or vismodegib was synergistic when the two compounds were used on proliferating 143B and Saos2 human osteosarcoma cells. An osteosarcoma xenograft model showed that treatment with ATO and CDDP, IFO, or vismodegib significantly prevented osteosarcoma growth in vivo compared with vehicle treatment. Our findings indicate that combination of Hedgehog pathway inhibitors and standard FDA-approved anticancer agents with established safety for human use may be an attractive therapeutic method for treating osteosarcoma.

Okadaic acid is known as a diarrheal shellfish poison. It is thought that there is no specific target organ for okadaic acid after it has been absorbed into the body. However, the details of its pharmacokinetics are still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that okadaic acid was more toxic to the hepatocyte-specific uptake transporter OATP1B1- or OATP1B3-expressing cells than control vector-transfected cells. In addition, PP2A activity, which is a target molecule of okadaic acid, was more potently inhibited by okadaic acid in OATP1B1- or OATP1B3-expressing cells compared with control vector-transfected cells. The cytotoxicity of okadaic acid in OATP1B1- or OATP1B3-expressing cells was attenuated by known substrates of OATP1B1- and OATP1B3, but not in control vector-transfected cells. Furthermore, after uptake inhibition study using OATP1B3-expressing cells, Dixon plot showed that okadaic acid inhibited the uptake of hepatotoxin microcystin-LR, which is a substrate for OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, in a competitive manner. These results strongly suggested that okadaic acid is a substrate for OATP1B3 and probably for OATP1B1, and could be involved in unknown caused liver failure and liver cancer. Since okadaic acid possesses cytotoxicity and cell proliferative activity by virtue of its known phosphatase inhibition activity.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) regulates intracellular thymidine metabolism and can enhance the anti-tumor effectiveness of 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5′-DFUR) by conversion of the pro-drug 5′-DFUR to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in tumor tissues. 5′-DFUR is an effective anti-tumor drug in cells expressing high levels of TP. 3′-Azido 3′-deoxythymidine (AZT) is a thymidine analog that has been proven useful in the treatment of acquired immunodefiency syndrome (AIDS). In this study, we found that AZT induces TP expression and enhances the sensitivity of human myeloid leukemia U937 cells to 5′-DFUR. Both the protein level and the activity of TP in U937 cells were elevated for 48 h after exposure to AZT (20, 100 or 300 μM). AZT enhanced TP promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner. AZT also increased TP mRNA levels in U937 cells as assayed by Real-time reverse-transcription PCR. AZT enhanced the cytotoxic effect of 5′-DFUR on U937 cells. A TP inhibitor, TPI, abrogated the cytotoxic activity of 5′-DFUR, and attenuated the combined cytotoxicity of AZT and 5′-DFUR. These results suggest that AZT enhances the cytotoxic effect of 5′-DFUR on U937 cells by upregulating TP activity in addition to its inhibition of thymidine kinase (TK) activity and reduction of intracellular dTTP pools.

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) is a human ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter in the plasma membrane. It confers multidrug resistance to tumor cells by actively effluxing intracellular drugs. To examine the functional significance of intracellular loops (ICLs) in MRP1, we determined the effect of mutation of the amino acid sequence EXXXG, which is conserved in ICL5 and ICL7 of human MRP1, 2 and 3, sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) 1 and 2, and mouse MRP1 and 2. E and G in the ICLs of human MRP1 were mutated to L and P, respectively, and the N-terminal (including ICL5) and C-terminal (including ICL7) wild type or mutant halves of MRP1 were co-expressed in insect cells. The mutation of either ICL5 or ICL7 considerably decreased ATP-dependent LTC 4 uptake into vesicles of insect cells expressing mutated MRP1. GSH-dependent photolabeling of MRP1 with an 125 I-labeled photoaffinity analog of azido agosterol A (azido AG-A) was abolished by the mutations in ICL5 and ICL7. Mutations in ICL5 of MRP1 almost completely inhibited the labeling of NBD2, but not NBD1, by 8-azido-α-[ 32 P]ATP. In contrast, mutations in ICL7 of MRP1 abolished the labeling of both NBDs. Mutation of either ICL5 or ICL7 of MRP1 almost completely inhibited vanadate trapping with 8-azido-α-[ 32 P]ATP by both NBD1 and NBD2 domains. These findings indicate that the intramolecular signaling between NBD and ICL s in MRP1 is vital for MRP1 function.

Patients with acute- or lymphoma-type adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) have a poor outcome because of the intrinsic drug resistance to chemotherapy. Protection from apoptosis is a common feature involved in multidrug-resistance of ATL. IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) family proteins inhibit apoptosis induced by a variety of stimuli. In this study, we investigated the expression of IAP family members (survivin, cIAP1, cIAP2, and XIAP) in the primary leukemic cells from patients with ATL. We found that survivin was overexpressed in ATL, especially in acute-type ATL. Sodium arsenite was shown to down-regulate the expression of survivin at both the protein and RNA levels in a time- and dose-dependent manner, thus inhibiting cell growth, inducing apoptosis, and enhancing the caspase-3 activity in ATL cells. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) enhances the transcriptional activity of survivin. Sodium arsenite suppressed the constitutive NF-κB activation by preventing the IκB-α degradation and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. These findings suggest that survivin is an important antiapoptotic molecule that confers drug resistance on ATL cells. Sodium arsenite was shown to down-regulate the expression of survivin through the NF-κB pathway, thus inhibiting cell growth and promoting apoptosis of ATL cells.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP), an enzyme involved in pyrimidine metabolism, is identical with an angiogenic factor, platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor. 2-Deoxy-D-ribose (D-dRib), the degradation product of thymidine generated by TP activity, has been suggested to be a downstream mediator of TP function. 2-Deoxy-L-ribose (L-dRib), a stereoisomer of D-dRib, inhibited the promotion of angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis by TP. In our study, we have shown that nude mice inoculated with TP-overexpressing KB/TP cells had shorter survival times than those injected with control KB/CV cells. KB/TP tumors were also more highly invasive than KB/CV tumors in mice. The expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in KB/TP tumors were significantly higher than those in KB/CV tumors. L-dRib and a TP inhibitior, TPI, extended the survival period of KB/TP tumor-bearing mice. L-dRib also reduced MMP-9 mRNA levels in KB/TP tumors. Furthermore, L-dRib suppressed the mRNA level of MMP-9 in cultured KB/TP cells, and the invasive activity of the cells. L-dRib may be useful for the suppression of invasion of TP-expressing tumor cells.

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) is an ATP-binding cassette transporter that confers multidrug resistance on tumor cells. Much convincing evidence has accumulated that MRP1 transports most substances in a GSH-dependent manner. On the other hand, several reports have revealed that MRP1 can transport some substrates independently of GSH; however, the importance of GSH-independent transport activity is not well established and the mechanistic differences between GSH-dependent and -independent transport by MRP1 are unclear. We previously demonstrated that the amino acids W261 and K267 in the L0 region of MRP1 were important for leukotriene C4 (LTC4) transport activity of MRP1 and for GSH-dependent photolabeling of MRP1 with azidophenyl agosterol-A (azidoAG-A). In this paper, we further tested the effect of W222L, W223L and R230A mutations in MRP1, designated dmL0MRP1, on MRP1 transport activity. SN-38 is an active metabolic form of CPT-11 that is one of the most promising anti-cancer drugs. Membrane vesicles prepared from cells expressing dmL0MRP1 could transport SN-38, but not LTC4 or estradiol-17 (β- d -glucuronate), and could not be photolabeled with azidoAG-A. These data suggested that SN-38 was transported by a different mechanism than that of GSH-dependent transport. Understanding the GSH-independent transport mechanism of MRP1, and identification of drugs that are transported by this mechanism, will be critical for combating MRP1-mediated drug resistance. We performed a pairwise comparison of compounds that are transported by MRP1 in a GSH-dependent or -independent manner. These data indicated that it may be possible to predict compounds that are transported by MRP1 in a GSH-independent manner.

A major impediment to cancer treatment is the development of resistance by the tumor. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) are involved in multidrug resistance. In addition to the extrusion of chemotherapeutic agents through these transporters, it has been reported that there are differences in the intracellular distribution of chemotherapeutic agents between drug resistant cells and sensitive cells. Cepharanthine is a plant alkaloid that effectively reverses resistance to anticancer agents. It has been previously shown that cepharanthine is an effective agent for the reversal of resistance in P-gp-overexpressing cells. Cepharanthine has also been reported to have numerous pharmacological effects besides the inhibition of P-gp. It has also been found that cepharanthine enhanced sensitivity to doxorubicin (ADM) and vincristine (VCR), and enhanced apoptosis induced by ADM and VCR of P-gp negative K562 cells. Cepharanthine changed the distribution of ADM from cytoplasmic vesicles to nucleoplasm in K562 cells by inhibiting the acidification of cytoplasmic organelles. Cepharanthine in combination with ADM should be useful for treating patients with tumors.

MRP1 is a 190-kDa membrane glycoprotein that confers multidrug resistance to tumor cells. The accumulated evidence has proved that GSH interacts with MRP1 and stimulates drug transport. However, the mechanism of GSH-dependent drug transport by MRP1 remains unclear. In this study, we used limited tryptic digestion of MRP1 in isolated membrane vesicles, in the presence and absence of GSH, to investigate the influence of GSH on MRP1 conformation. We found that GSH inhibited the generation of an approximately 35-kDa C-terminal tryptic fragment (including a C-terminal His tag) termed C2 from MRP1. This effect of GSH was not because of direct inhibition of trypsin activity, and agosterol A enhanced the inhibitory effect of GSH. The main cleavage site in MRP1 for the generation of the C2 fragment by trypsin resided between TMD2 and NBD2 of MRP1. Limited tryptic digestion of membrane vesicles expressing various truncated and co-expressed MRP1 fragments in the presence and absence of GSH revealed that GSH inhibited the production of the C2 fragment only in the presence of the L(0) region of MRP1. Thus the L(0) region is required for the inhibition of trypsinization of the C-terminal half of MRP1 by GSH. These findings, together with previous reports, suggest that GSH induces a conformational change at a site within the MRP1 that is indispensable for the interaction of MRP1 with its substrates.

Vaults are barrel-shaped cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein particles composed of three proteins: the major vault protein (MVP), the vault poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (VPARP), and the telomerase-associated protein 1, together with one or more small untranslated RNAs. To date, little is known about the process of vault assembly or about the stability of vault components. In this study, we analyzed the biosynthesis of MVP and VPARP, and their half-lives within the vault particle in human ACHN renal carcinoma cells. Using an immunoprecipitation assay, we found that it took more than 4 h for newly synthesized MVPs to be incorporated into vault particles but that biosynthesized VPARPs were completely incorporated into vaults within 1.5 h. Once incorporated into the vault complex, both MVP and VPARP were very stable. Expression of human MVP alone in Escherichia coli resulted in the formation of particles that had a distinct vault morphology. The C-terminal region of VPARP that lacks poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase activity co-sedimented with MVP particles. This suggests that the activity of VPARP is not essential for interaction with MVP-self-assembled vault-like particles. In conclusion, our findings provide an insight into potential mechanisms of physiological vault assembly.

Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) is a novel member of ATP-binding cassette transporters, which induce multidrug resistance in cancer cells. We previously reported that a high level of BCRP expression in CD4(+) T cells conferred cellular resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). However, this BCRP was found to have a mutation of Arg to Met at position 482 (BCRP(R482M)). The present study demonstrated that the wild-type BCRP (BCRP(WT)) also conferred cellular resistance to NRTIs. MT-4 cells (a CD4(+) T-cell line) highly expressing BCRP(WT) (MT-4/BCRP) were generated and the expression of BCRP(WT) was confirmed by genotypic and phenotypic analyses. Compared to the parental MT-4 cells, MT-4/BCRP cells displayed resistance to zidovudine (AZT) in terms of antiviral activity as well as drug cytotoxicity. In addition, other NRTIs were also less inhibitory to HIV-1 replication in MT-4/BCRP cells than in MT-4 cells. Significant reduction of intracellular AZT accumulation was observed in MT-4/BCRP cells. An analysis for intracellular metabolism of AZT suggested that the resistance was attributed to the increased efflux of AZT and its metabolites in MT-4/BCRP cells. Furthermore, the BCRP-specific inhibitor fumitremorgin C completely restored the reduction of AZT in MT-4/BCRP cells. These results indicate that, like BCRP(R482M), BCRP(WT) also plays an important role in cellular resistance to NRTIs.

Human multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) is a membrane ATP-binding cassette transporter that confers multidrug resistance to tumor cells by effluxing intracellular drugs in an ATP-dependent manner. The mechanisms by which transport occurs and by which ATP hydrolysis is coupled to drug transport are not fully elucidated. In particular, the function of the signature sequences in the nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) of MRP1 is unknown. We therefore investigated the effect of mutation of the signature sequences (G771D and G1433D) and of the Walker A motifs (K684M and K1333M) in the NBDs on the 8-azido-[alpha-32P]ATP photolabeling and 8-azido-[alpha-32P]ADP vanadate trapping of MRP1. Both mutations in the Walker A motif almost completely inhibited the labeling of the mutated NBD with 8-azido-[alpha-32P]ATP but not the labeling of the other intact NBD. In contrast, the G771D mutation in the signature sequence of NBD1 enhanced the labeling of NBD1 but slightly decreased the labeling of NBD2. The G1433D mutation in the signature motif of NBD2 enhanced the labeling of NBD2 but did not affect the labeling of NBD1. These effects were all substrate-independent. Photolabeling of NBD2 and a very slight photolableing of NBD1 were detectable under vanadate trapping conditions with 8-azido-[alpha-32P]ATP. Trapping at both NBD1 and NBD2 was almost completely inhibited by K684M and K1333M mutations and by the K684M/K1333M double mutation. The G771D mutation completely inhibited trapping at NBD2 and considerably inhibited trapping at NBD1. However, whereas the G1433D mutation also considerably inhibited trapping at NBD1, it only partially inhibited trapping of NBD2, and the trapping could still be enhanced by leukotriene C4. Our findings suggest that both signature sequences of MRP1 are involved in ATP hydrolysis and must be intact for the ATP hydrolysis and the transport by MRP1.

STI571, an Abl-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, selectively kills Bcr-Abl-containing cells in vitro and in vivo. However, some chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cell lines are resistant to STI571. We evaluated whether STI571 interacts with P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1), and examined the effect of agents that reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) on the resistance to SI571 in MDR cells. STI571 inhibited the [(125)I]azidoagosterol A-photolabeling of P-gp, but not that of MRP1. K562/MDR cells that overexpress P-gp were 3.67 times more resistant to STI571 than the parental Philadelphia-chromosome-positive (Ph +) CML K562 cells, and this resistance was most effectively reversed by cepharanthine among the tested reversing agents. The concentration of STI571 required to completely inhibit tyrosine phosphorylation in K562/MDR cells was about 3 times higher than that in K562 cells, and cepharanthine abolished the difference. In KB-G2 cells that overexpress P-gp, but not Bcr-Abl, 2.5 micro M STI571 partly reversed the resistance to vincristine (VCR), paclitaxel, etoposide (VP-16) and actinomycin D (ACD) but not to Adriamycin (ADM) or colchicine. STI571 increased the accumulation of VCR, but not that of ADM in KB-G2 cells. STI571 did not reverse resistance to any agent in KB/MRP cells that overexpress MRP1. These findings suggest that STI571 is a substrate for P-gp, but is less efficiently transported by P-gp than VCR, and STI571 is not a substrate for MRP1. Among the tested reversing agents that interact with P-gp, cepharanthine was the most effective agent for the reversal of the resistance to STI571 in K562/MDR cells. Furthermore, STI571 itself was a potent reversing agent for MDR in P-gp-expressing KB-G2 cells.

An angiogenic factor, platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor/thymidine phosphorylase (PD-ECGF/TP), stimulates the chemotaxis of endothelial cells and confers resistance to apoptosis induced by hypoxia. 2-Deoxy-D-ribose, a degradation product of thymidine generated by TP, partially prevents hypoxia-induced apoptosis. TP is expressed at higher levels in tumor tissues compared to the adjacent non-neoplastic tissues in a variety of human carcinomas. High expression of TP is associated with an unfavorable prognosis. To investigate the effect of TP on cisplatin-induced apoptosis, human leukemia Jurkat cells were transfected with wild-type or mutant (L148R) TP cDNA. TP inhibited a number of steps in the cisplatin-induced apoptotic pathway, activation of caspases 3 and 9 and mitochondrial cytochrome c release. These findings suggest a mechanism by which TP confers resistance to apoptosis induced by cisplatin. Moreover, mutant TP that has no enzymatic activity also suppressed cisplatin-induced apoptosis. These findings indicate that TP has cytoprotective functions against cytotoxic agents which are independent of its enzymatic activity.

Agosterol A (AG-A) is a novel agent that reverses P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance protein-1 (MRP1)-meditated multidrug resistance (MDR). We have synthesized [125I]11-azidophenyl agosterol A (azidoAG-A), a photoaffinity analog of AG-A, and characterized its binding to P-gp in membrane vesicles prepared from multidrug-resistant P-gp-overexpressing KB-C2 cells. The photoanalog photolabeled intact P-gp and both the N- and C-terminal fragments of P-gp. [125I]AzidoAG-A is transported by P-gp and the intracellular accumulation of both [125I]azidoAG-A and [3H]AG-A in KB-C2 cells was lower than that in the parental drug-sensitive KB-3-1 cells. [125I]AzidoAG-A bound to the drug binding site(s) on P-gp because photoaffinity labeling of P-gp was inhibited by a variety of known P-gp substrates, including anticancer, reversing, and anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) agents. The binding of [125I]azidoAG-A to P-gp differs from the binding of other photolabeled probes such as iodoaryl-azidoprazosin (IAAP) to P-gp and from the binding of [125I]azidoAG-A to MRP1 based on the differing effects of flupentixol and glutathione (GSH) on their binding. Thus, [125I]azidoAG-A will be a useful tool to elucidate the structure and function of P-gp because it directly binds to the drug binding site(s) on P-gp, is transported by P-gp, and exhibits different P-gp binding characteristics than IAAP.

Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) is a novel member of ATP- binding cassette transporters, which induce multidrug resistance in cancer cells. We found that a high level of BCRP expression in CD4+ T cells conferred cellular resistance to human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The cell line MT-4/DOX 500 was established through the long-term culture of MT-4 cells in the presence of doxorubicin (DOX) and had reduced sensitivity to not only DOX but also zidovudine (AZT). MT-4/DOX 500 cells showed reduced intracellular accumulation and retention of DOX and increased ATP-dependent rhodamine 123 efflux. The cells were also resistant to several anticancer agents such as mitoxantrone, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxycamptothecin, and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin. AZT was 7.5-fold less inhibitory to HIV-1 replication in MT-4/DOX 500 cells than in MT-4 cells. Furthermore, the anti-HIV-1 activity of lamivudine was severely impaired in MT-4/DOX 500 cells. In contrast, the antiviral activity of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors was not affected in the cells. MT-4/DOX 500 cells expressed glycosylated BCRP but not P-glycoprotein (ABCB1), multidrug resistance protein 1, 2, or 4 (ABCC1, -2, or -4), or lung resistance-related protein. In addition, the BCRP-specific inhibitor fumitremorgin C completely abolished the resistance of MT-4/DOX 500 cells to AZT as well as to DOX. An analysis for intracellular metabolism of AZT suggests that the resistance is attributed to the increase of ATP-dependent efflux of its metabolites, presumably AZT 5'-monophosphate, in MT-4/DOX 500 cells.

A newly synthesized 1,4-benzothiazipine derivate, 4-[3-(4-benzylpiperidin-1-yl) propionyl]-7-methoxy-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1, 4-benzothiazepine monohydrochloride (JTV-519) was examined for its ability to reverse P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) in K562/MDR and KB/MRP cells, respectively. JTV-519 at 3 microM reversed the resistance of K562/MDR cells to vincristine (VCR), taxol, etoposide (VP16), adriamycin (ADM) and actinomycin D and at 0.5 or 1 microM reversed their resistance to STI571. JTV-519 at 10 microM enhanced the accumulation of ADM in K562/MDR cells to the level in parental K562 cells and inhibited the efflux of ADM from K562/MDR cells. Photoaffinity labeling of P-gp with 3H-azidopine was almost completely inhibited by 500 microM JTV-519. JTV-519 at 3 microM also partially reversed the resistance of KB/MRP cells to VCR and at 500 microM partially inhibited the photoaffinity labeling of MRP1 with (125)I-II-azidophenyl agosterol A (125I-azidoAG-A). These results suggest that JTV-519 reversed the resistance to the anti-cancer agents in P-gp and MRP1 overexpressing multidrug-resistant cells by directly binding to P-gp and MRP1, and competitively inhibiting transport of the anti-cancer agents.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) regulates intracellular and plasma thymidine levels. TP deficiency is hypothesized to (i) increase levels of thymidine in plasma, (ii) lead to mitochondrial DNA alterations, and (iii) cause mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE). In order to elucidate the physiological roles of TP, we generated mice deficient in the TP gene. Although TP activity in the liver was inhibited in these mice, it was fully maintained in the small intestine. Murine uridine phosphorylase (UP), unlike human UP, cleaves thymidine, as well as uridine. We therefore generated TP-UP double-knockout (TP(-/-) UP(-/-)) mice. TP activities were inhibited in TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice, and the level of thymidine in the plasma of TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice was higher than for TP(-/-) mice. Unexpectedly, we could not observe alterations of mitochondrial DNA or pathological changes in the muscles of the TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice, even when these mice were fed thymidine for 7 months. However, we did find hyperintense lesions on magnetic resonance T(2) maps in the brain and axonal edema by electron microscopic study of the brain in TP(-/-) UP(-/-) mice. These findings suggested that the inhibition of TP activity caused the elevation of pyrimidine levels in plasma and consequent axonal swelling in the brains of mice. Since lesions in the brain do not appear to be due to mitochondrial alterations and pathological changes in the muscle were not found, this model will provide further insights into the causes of MNGIE.

A previously established arsenite-resistant cell line, KAS, is also resistant to a variety of anticancer drugs. In order to understand responsible molecules for the multidrug resistance phenotype of KAS cells, we examined the expressions of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and found that the ABCB6 and ABCC1/ multidrug resistance protein 1 (ABCC1/MRP1) were increased. ABCC1/MRP1 was not completely responsible for the drug resistance spectrum of KAS cells and several reports have suggested that ABCB6 is related to anticancer drug and metal resistance. We, therefore, established and examined ABCB6-expressing KB cells and ABCB6-knockdown KAS cells. ABCB6 expression enhanced resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), SN-38 and vincristine (Vcr) but not to arsenite. Conversely, down-regulation of ABCB6 in KAS cells increased the sensitivity of KAS cells to 5-FU, SN-38 and Vcr, but not to arsenite. Our findings suggest that ABCB6 is involved in 5-FU, SN-38 and Vcr resistance.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) promotes angiogenesis and metastasis, and confers resistance to anticancer agents in some cancer cell types. We previously reported that TP stimulates the expression of interleukin (IL)-8 in human KB cancer cells by an unknown mechanism. A mutation in the nuclear factor (NF)κB binding site of the IL-8 promoter suppressed promoter activity in KB/TP cells that overexpress TP. Specifically inhibiting NFκB by using BY11-7082 also suppressed TP-induced IL-8 promoter activity and IL-8 expression. Moreover, TP overexpression led to the activation of NFκB and an upregulation in the expression of its target genes, and increased phosphorylated IKKα/β protein levels, while promoting IκBα degradation as well as p65 phosphorylation and nuclear localization. The activation of NFκB in KB/TP cells was suppressed by the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and EUK-8. In addition, in gastric cancer tissue samples, the expression of the NFκB-regulated genes, including IL-8, IL-6, and fibronectin-1 was positively correlated with TP expression. These findings indicate that reactive oxygen species mediated NFκB activation by TP increases the expression of genes that promote angiogenesis and metastasis in gastric cancer.

The p53 gene is associated with G1 arrest during the cell cycle and with apoptosis. To evaluate the preoperative chemotherapeutic effect in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, we retrospectively investigated the apoptotic index (AI) and Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67LI) in relation to the expression of p53. Thirty patients with esophageal carcinoma who had received chemotherapy prior to surgery were examined using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated in-situ end-labeling (TUNEL) method for evaluating AI and immunohistochemical staining with anti Ki-67 and anti p53 antibody for evaluating Ki-67LI and p53 expression, respectively. The histological response rate of chemotherapy was 20.0%. A significant correlation between p53-negative expression and response to chemotherapy was found (P0. 01). The AIs and Ki-67LIs in p53-negative tumors with ineffective responses to chemotherapy were significantly higher than those in p53-positive tumors with ineffective responses (P0.05). The AIs and Ki-67LIs were significantly lower in p53-negative tumors with effective responses to chemotherapy than those in p53-negative tumors with ineffective responses (P0.05 and P0.01, respectively). Furthermore, significant correlations were found between AIs and Ki-67LIs in p53 negative tumors (r=0.60, P0.05). In esophageal carcinoma, p53-negative tumors with highly proliferative cells might be susceptible to apoptosis induced by chemotherapy.

The activity and distribution of thymidine phosphorylase (TP) in the nasal mucosa of patients with nasal allergy was examined and compared with those in healthy subjects. TP activity was analyzed by spectrophotometry and expression was examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical staining using a monoclonal antibody specific to TP. The expression level of TP detected by immunoblotting showed a correlation with the activity detected by spectrophotometry. In nasal mucosa obtained from patients with nasal allergy, the level of TP was significantly higher than that from normal subjects. Eosinophils, basal cells in mucosal epithelium and fibroblasts in nasal mucosa obtained from patients with nasal allergy were stained with anti-TP monoclonal antibody. Strong staining of eosinophils present in nasal discharge was observed. The present results indicate that an increased number of TP-expressing cells, especially eosinophils in nasal mucosa, might be associated with the pathogenesis of nasal allergy.